Sunday, November 15, 2026
For José Ernesto Ortiz, crossing the finish line at the Berlin Marathon on Sept. 27 represented more than an athletic achievement. It was an opportunity to celebrate his Dominican heritage and demonstrate the power of perseverance — lessons he now shares with students at Uniondale High School.
Ortiz, 37, an assistant principal at the high school and an East Meadow resident, traveled to Germany along with roughly 60 members of the New York based Dominican Runners Club. A first-generation Dominican American who grew up in Brooklyn, Ortiz said that representing his heritage internationally made the experience especially meaningful.
“While I’m American, I also have to remember that I’m Dominican American,” Ortiz said. “It was such an honor to be there representing our country.”
Ortiz completed the 26.2-mile race in 5 hours, 16 minutes and 39 seconds.
Securing a spot in the Berlin race was no easy feat. Ortiz explained that runners gain entry through a highly competitive lottery or by being part of an approved tour group. Thanks to Dominican Runners, he was able to secure a spot with a tour group based in the Dominican Republic, which offers applicants the option of either paying for an entry or raising funds to participate.
With more than 50,000 runners competing in the race, Ortiz said the opportunity was especially meaningful. “You had over 50,000 runners actually run,” he said, “and you probably have several hundred thousand people apply.”
Ortiz, who never took part in organized sports growing up, began running about 10 years ago to improve his health. Finishing races and earning medals gave him a sense of achievement he had missed during childhood.
“I was never a child that was involved in team sports,” he recalled. “Never won a trophy as a kid, ever, because I wasn’t really involved in anything.”
What started as a fitness goal became a passion for long-distance running. In 2023, Ortiz finished his first marathon on Long Island — a week and a half before his son was born. He ran the New York City Marathon in 2025 before taking on Berlin, which brought him closer to his goal of completing the world’s major marathons.
As a father of two, Ortiz hopes his accomplishments will encourage his children to stay active. His 8-year-old daughter is preparing to take part in Girls on the Run, and he has pushed his 3-year-old son in a stroller in shorter local races.
“I’ve done a few with him in the stroller — I’ve done a Turkey Trot with him in his stroller, the Nassau County Turkey Trot that they do in Eisenhower Park,” Ortiz said. “This year we’re actually doing the Eisenhower Turkey Trot again.”
At the high school, Ortiz displays his race bibs and medals in his office, with the hope of sparking conversations with students about discipline, perseverance and making the most of their opportunities.
“These medals, for me, are just such a wake-up call to all the opportunities that we have out there,” Ortiz said. “But you can’t waste your potential. You have to get up early, you have to be disciplined, and I think that’s what I try to teach them every time.”
His passion has also inspired schoolwide initiatives. After finishing the New York City Marathon last fall, Ortiz helped organize Uniondale High’s inaugural Turkey Trot. The event was free, and students and staff were invited to run or walk around the high school track and to collect canned goods and nonperishable food for families in need. It generated more than three large boxes of donations.
This year the event is planned for Nov. 23 and the school is also accepting monetary contributions from adults to support a local soup kitchen or help families purchase holiday necessities.
Lauren Vegas, a technology teacher at the Smith Street School and an avid runner, said the Turkey Trot was long overdue, given the number of student-athletes at the school. Still, she was excited to see the event finally come together, adding that it was better late than never.
“It’s amazing that they’re doing that — they’re doing it at the high school level,” Vegas said, adding that she hoped the elementary schools would one day host similar events. “It’s great to get kids out there, and even the adults, to understand the important of fitness and achieving a goal of raising money.”
Vegas, a serious runner for nearly 20 years, has finished four marathons — two in New York City and two in Chicago — as well as 47 half-marathons, and is preparing for her fifth marathon, at Disney World, in January. Like Ortiz, she shares her accomplishments with students, displaying photos and medals on her classroom smartboard and discussing the dedication and preparation required to complete long-distance races.
When students ask whether she has won them, Vegas reminds them that success isn’t always measured by finishing first.
“Because they’re little, the first question is like, ‘Did you win?” she said. “I said I didn’t win, but I think everybody who runs a marathon or a half-marathon is a winner because of the work that you put
into it.”
